See Also: wootz (steel)(encyclopedia)
wootz(dictionary)
steel(dictionary)
INI Steel(finance)
steel(2)(dictionary)
Steel(medicine)
US Steel(finance)
steel(encyclopedia)
steel(1)(dictionary)
steel mill(dictionary)

wootz (steel) (sh)




Steel produced by a method known in ancient India.

The process involved preparation of porous iron, hammering it while hot to release slag, breaking it up and sealing it with wood chips in a clay container, and heating it until the pieces of iron absorbed carbon from the wood and melted. The steel thus produced had a uniform composition of 1-1.6% carbon and could be heated and forged into bars for later use in fashioning articles, such as the famous medieval Damascus swords. See also bloomery process.